Korean Drinking Culture and Dramas

I was always wondering if it (drinking habits) works as in dramas and it seems so, however, I blame the “age” rules too. I get it´s a cultural custom I just don´t feel comfortable about it.

I´m coming from the country where bear is a national drink. Half a liter of beer is usually cheaper than 0,2l of coke or any other soft drink and it´s famous. But still, I don´t drink and nobody really cares. We´re called heavy drinkers by other nations but nobody gives me hard time for not drinking.

I find that a bit weird. So what they saying is, if you don’t drink, you are deemed to be weak, rude, pathetic, etc.

Sounds a bit harsh, don’t you think? Especially, if you don’t meant to be negative about it.

oh god, and I’m a teetotaller- I wonder what their reaction would be if I said that I don’t drink any alcohol?

First things first, I enjoy my alcohol. When I was on holiday in Seoul earlier this year, I had some soju nearly every day and I really liked that yummy rice wine (makgeolli?) too. But I do sympathise with you – no one should feel forced to drink or eat anything they don’t like. However, cultural norms aside, I do feel like you’re being a little overly critical of drinking and those who partake in drinking, as in your comment about drunk college students. Or maybe I’m just being over-sensitive.     

Until recently, I lived in a city which is notorious for its binge drinking culture.  People walking around with a bottle in their hand would be pretty civilised compared to some of the things I’ve seen.  That said, I’m still surprised at the apparent acceptability of drunkeness in Korean drama – as in, heroine drinks herself to unconsciousmess, not light social drinking.  It seems so odd in an otherwise conservative country.

(…am now randomly picturing a K-variety segment about snakebite & black and deep fried mars bars….)

Good thing they don’t sell Four Lokos there….I hope!

To be honest, while I have noticed the drinking-culture in Korea, and even discussed it with my sister at times, it was never something I found odd, or disconcerting, simply because it is so very similar to the drinking culture in Denmark.
While the act of refusing a drink is nowhere near as disrespectful, you may be considered dull if you do so.
Interestingly enough, this is most prevalent among older generations, while younger people seem to be much more understanding and accepting of those who chose not to drink.
Hopefully this will also be the case in Korea.

Seems to me (and I never see any information on this) that alcoholism is not discussed in this.  Having come from a family who has suffered from this drinking has never been a social activity I enjoyed.  So can anyone tell me how many in this country suffer from this.  Does anyone have any statistics?

While accepting a drink that is offered to you by a superior is definitely the norm in South Korea, if you’re a young foreigner visiting, studying, or working in Korea, I don’t think people always expect you to follow the norms, including this one.  I think it’s fine to refuse a drink as long as you do so politely (thank them first but politely tell them why you can’t accept…make up a good excuse if you have to).  I guess it might also depend on who you’re with and how tolerant and understanding they are.  I refused to drink a couple of times at “hwae-shik” (those after-work dinners you go to with your colleagues), so my co-workers ordered Chilsung cider for me so I could pretend I was drinking soju with them (lol), and we had a great time.  So it’s not a rule that’s set in stone, and it’s perfectly fine to refuse a drink if you think you’re being pushed to the limit (just say so honestly–and believe it or not, some people might secretly think that you’re a smart person for knowing your limit and for refusing to cave into peer pressure, which could lead to committing some embarrassing mistakes while you’re drunk…).  

The thing is, in Korea a lot of people have a tendency to go with the flow because it’s easier and you don’t want to stick out for fear of being viewed as weird or an outsider.  So if your coworkers are all drinking, you feel pressured to drink too because you don’t want to be left out.  Plus, you don’t want to do anything that might spoil the “boon-wi-gi,” or atmosphere/ambiance, for everyone else.  Many Koreans just accept this without questioning it, which I think has only served to reinforce this norm or “expectation” to drink.  But there are definitely other Koreans who politely refuse to drink at most or all outings (mostly women–men have a greater chance of being considered wussies I guess, lol), and I’ve found other Koreans to be usually pretty accepting of this.

I think the important thing to remember in all this is that South Koreans are reasonable people, like you and me.  No one is going to force you to drink until you die (except for a few lonely perverts perhaps), and people usually intervene if they think you’ve had enough.  And another thing to note is that most Koreans naturally build up their alcohol tolerance over time beginning in their college days by going out with friends for drinks on a frequent basis, so what might seem like a lot of alcohol to some of us is actually considered moderate by their standards.  

Just as a side note, people often order soju as a side drink b/c it’s really strong and shouldn’t be drunk on an empty stomach.